Know your Enemies
by IngyBall
Summary: This is my 3rd and probably my favorite journal. It's an adaptation of Edmund Spenser's Book 1 of The Faerie Queene. Synopsis: Candor Stern had just finished his Delta Force training and was about to go bust terrorist until he was told to meet with the CIA. Candor has been training to fight his whole life and is ready for his new CIA mission, but will he learn to use his brain?
**Know Your Enemies**

Prologue: In the year 2026 a civil war broke out in the country of France. The war spread into Spain and Great Britain in 2028, by 2032 the rebels won the war uniting the three former countries as one country called Garnet. Vlad Malo, a former general and rebel, became the dictator of Garnet and began a rapid militarization. In two years the nuclear arsenal that Garnet seized had grown thirty thousand fold. On edge the United states began to prep for war, but kept their individualist views that had returned from the early 20th century. Garnet began to attack the rest of Europe, they marched through Germany with out any losses. By 2035 Garnet had conquered all of Europe excluding Russia as well as the Middle East and all of south and east Asia, including India. The United States decided to make an Alliance with all the countries in the Americas. The Monroe doctrine was reissued, If one North or South American country was attacked then the rest of the countries would retaliate. In 2041 China, Japan and Russia formed their own alliance and 6 months later they began to work with the American countries to figure out how to stop Garnet. During the late 2030s Garnet began to increase in nationalism and had total support from it's citizens. Garnet adopted a flag that was a solid red color. Red became the primary color in Garnet, it was a symbol of aggression and intimidation. Red was a dominant color in clothing as well as in architectural designs. In 2043 Garnet attacked Russia and World War Three broke out. The war stayed conventional but it lasted for twelve years with massive losses. The war ended up being a draw, China was taken over, Russia collapsed and became a neutral territory between the Americas and Garnet. A cease fire has been in place for ten years, but in 2056 the U.S caught wind of two new super weapons that the Garnets were working on. The U.S began sending spies to try to get intel on the weapons and possibly destroy it, however each of the spies sent failed to return. In fear of their spies being physically overwhelmed the C.I.A decided to go a different direction.

Private Candor Stern jolted out of his slumber. Candor was about to go on his first mission with Delta force. The objective was simple, free the hostages from terrorist opposition in Panama without injuring civilians. Candor got ready and then greeted his friend Jim. "Hey Jim you ready?" Candor asked. "Yep" Jim replied. "We've been trained to combat terrorist almost all of our lives, are you ready Candor?" Jim asked. "I'm a bit nervous to be honest Jim." Candor replied. "But like you said, this is what we were trained to do." Candor began to finish packing his backpack when the intercom crackled. "Private Candor Stern report to Sargent Maze's office at once." Candor raced to the Sargent's office to see why he was summoned. "Private Candor you are being sent to Washington." Maze said. "Sir, I am about to go on my first mission." "You are needed on a special mission." Maze said. "I'm sorry Private but this is above my authority." "Yes sir Sargent, when do I leave?" "You leave now." answered Maze. Candor was escorted to the CIA where he met with the director himself. "My name is Director Gilmore Spenser and we need your help." Said the Tall man in front of Candor. "What do you need me for?" Candor asked. "We need you to go to the neutral zone and spy out a two new weapons that the Garnets have been working on, once you find the weapons obliterate them." Director Spenser said. "Couldn't you have your own spies do that?" Asked Candor. "Over the past 3 years we've sent 5 spies to seek out the weapon." Spenser explained. "None have returned." He said grimly. "We will be sending our top spy with you." Spenser said. "We are hoping that combat training can keep the both of you safe on this mission." "Ok, so who is my partner then?" Candor asked. "Candor meet Alexandra Heart." Candor shook Alexandra's hands, "It will be a pleasure working with you." he said. "In public you will call Alexandra "Ada", When together you will be brother and sister." Said Spenser. "Your ship has arrived Private Candor, good luck." Candor and Alexandra made their way to the central hub of the neutral zone, formerly known as Moscow. "We will be lodging at Judas Walker's house, he is a secret agent that we sent 7 years ago. He is meant to be a safe haven for our spies." Alexandra said. When Candor and Alexandra arrived to the Central Hub they were greeted by a tall and powerful man. "Greetings Ada and Candor, My name is Judas Walker." A raspy voice said. "I will show you around the city and get you guys situated." said Judas. Judas put on a red baseball cap and began to take Candor and Ada on a tour of Central Hub. After the tour Ada and Candor went out to begin their mission. "We need to blend in." Ada said. "Where should we start?" asked Candor. "I'm thinking we should do some Reconnaissance, I'm think a casino might be the best place to start, we can listen in on conversations." Ada replied. Candor and Ada went to Casino Alley to look for one they thought might help with the mission. They found one that was upscale called The Leviathan. Ada handed Candor twenty thousand dollars. "What's this for?" Asked Candor. "We have to blend in, remember?" Ada smiled. Ada and Candor started off with the slot machines. They took turns playing the games, Candor ended up winning one thousand dollars and Ada won five thousand dollars. Everyone around the slot machines seemed to be keeping to themselves so they decided to move on. Ada and Candor went to a bar for drinks. While there they over heard a conversation about there being an abandoned warehouses in Business District where weird sounds were being heard. Ada noted to herself to make sure they checked it out later. Candor pointed out a card game that looked interesting. "This game looks cool, why don't we try it out?" He asked. "I don't know." Ada replied "He looks kinda sketchy." "We are in a Casino Ada, everyone is sketchy." Candor replied. "Perhaps." Ada said. "But there's something different about this guy." Candor and Ada approached the older man at the card table, he was wearing a white polo shirt with a red vest on top and khaki pants. "Hello young ones, my name is James Pratt, what are your names?" Asked the man. "My name is Candor and this is my sister Ada." Candor replied. "Would you like to play my game?" Asked Pratt. "Sure" Candor replied. "Great, the rules are that if you find the ball you win the jackpot of all the money I have gathered, if you pick the card you have to do what it says. If you don't I'll have you thrown in jail." Said Pratt. "I'm not sure this is a good idea." Ada said nervously. "It will be fine Ada, the card probably just wants me to dance or something." James Pratt began his game. He placed a ball and two cards on to an air table, he put cups on top of them and began to mix them up. He gradually increased his speed and then came to a stop. "Which one has the ball?" Pratt asked. "I think the middle one." Candor answered. James Pratt lifted up the middle cup and revealed a card. "Nice try, let's see what the card says." Pratt said. Pratt gave the card to Candor and it said "Play the game again". "Looks like you are going to have to try again." Said Pratt with a smirk. Candor gave him one hundred dollars and tried again. "Wrong again" said Pratt. Once again the card said play again, Candor had fallen into a trap. Candor played many games and failed to win all of them. Candor was down to the last one hundred dollars of the twenty six thousand they had before. Before the last game started Ada whispered to Candor. "Have you noticed the ball has never been in the middle?" Ada asked. "Yeah, I stopped picking the middle cup a while ago." Candor replied. "Well I've been timing the games." Ada said. "It seems when he stops on an even second the ball is in the left cup and on an odd second the ball is in the right cup." "Ok?" Candor said confused. "I have a stop watch on my wrist, I will time his mixing." Ada replied. James Pratt began the last game, he mixed the cups and then told Candor to chose. "He mixed for fifty two seconds" Ada told Candor. "I pick the left cup." Candor said to Pratt. Pratt lifted the cup and sure enough the ball was inside it. "But how did you?" Pratt stuttered. "I had to guess right sometime." Candor said without revealing Ada's plan. "You have bested me." Pratt said. "Take the money." Candor and Ada walked out of the Casino with their bag of money they had just won, they had decided to head back to Judas' house and turn in for the night. "I knew something was off about that guy." Ada said. "He distracted us from our mission." She said. "I'm sorry Ada I should have listened to you." "It's ok Candor, we can restart tomorrow and investigate that Warehouse we heard about." said Ada. Ada and Candor went to sleep after their hectic night. In the morning they headed off to the Warehouse to investigate. Before they entered the building Candor heard footsteps. "What are you doing here!" Came a roaring voice. "Oh we're just looking around." Candor replied. Candor came face to face with a man who had rough skin and a terrifying expression. While Candor was contemplating on what to do he and Ada had been surrounded by four men in all red outfits. "Look man, we don't want any trouble, my sister and I will leave." Said Candor. "You think I'm a fool?" Asked the man. "I know you two our spies, we have been sent to eliminate you." "Who are you?" Ada asked. "I am Mal!" The man shouted. "We are mercenaries for Garnet." The men began to close in on Candor and Ada. "You've messed with the wrong guy." Candor said. Candor dodged a punch and kick from one of the combatants, he then grabbed their leg and spun him, which knocked all of the opponents down. Two of the men pulled out their lightning projectors and aimed it at Candor and Ada, Thinking fast, Candor tackled Ada to the ground. The two enemies accidentally shot each other killing them both. With three people left , Ada engaged two of the mercenaries while Candor fought against Mal. Candor could hear Ada's breathing become heavy. "Ada duck!" Candor shouted. Candor pulled out a hard plastic rod and aimed it at the two mercenaries. Candor pushed a button and massive blast of win skyrocketed the two mercenaries hundreds of miles into the air. Candor turned around and blocked a punch from Mal. Knowing he couldn't beat both of Candor and Ada on his own, Mal pressed a button on his belt and disappeared into thin air. Exhausted, Candor put his hands over his head to catch his breath. Ada and Candor went inside the Warehouse. It turned out to be a dead end, the weird noise heard was a twig that was being rubbed against a metal pipe due to the breeze outside. "Well that was a bust." Ada said. "What should we do next?" Candor asked. "I think we should split up tomorrow." Ada replied. "I overheard there was a fancy ball occurring tomorrow, no invite needed. Why don't you go check that out, I will go walk around some parks and gather any intel I can find." she said. "Are you sure? Wouldn't staying together be better after what we just went through today?" Candor asked. "Don't Worry." Ada answered. "We will be in public, no one would be dumb enough to attack us then." She explained. The next day Candor was given a tuxedo from Judas in order to look formal at the ball. The ball was being held in a large hotel called Muy Bonita. The hotel lived up to it's name, As soon as you walked into the entrance your eyes were besieged by a great lobby. There were multiple fountains connected to a river that went around the perimeter of the lobby. The lobby had restaurants and bars dispersed through out it. Candor made his way to the ballroom. The ballroom did not disappoint Candor, the wooden floors were sleek and shiny, the chandeliers glistened in their own light, there was a retractable disco ball for when the right song came on. Feeling a bit shy, Candor stood and watched other couples dance to music. Candor looked around the ballroom to see if there was anyone he should ask to dance, before he could finish he was approached by a woman. The woman was stunningly beautiful, she was wearing a red dress with read shoes. "Hi, my name is Evelyn Peters, I don't have a date and you seemed a bit lonely over here so I was wondering if you wanted to dance?" Asked Evelyn. "Sure." Candor replied. Evelyn and Candor took to the dance floor and participated in all the dances. They Waltzed, the did the Twister, the Flying Kangaroo, the Angry Yeti, and they even went old school and did the Soulja Boy. Evelyn and Candor were having a great time. "Hey Candor, wanna grab a bite to eat?" Evelyn asked. "Sure, If I said I wasn't famished I would be lying." Candor replied. The two decided to go to a Mexican restaurant inside the hotel as neither of them have ever had Mexican food. Evelyn told Candor more about her self while they ate, she told Candor that her favorite color was red and that she owned a company here in the neutral zone. Candor revealed that he was visiting from the Americas for vacation. "Wanna come over for a drink?" Evelyn asked. "I really need to go." Candor said hesitantly. "Oh come on!" Evelyn said with a pouty face. Candor found Evelyn's face to be irresistible. "Ok, just for a few hours." Candor said. Candor got into the car with Evelyn. "Have you ever had wine?" Evelyn asked. "No." Candor said "Garnet doesn't trade any of the wine they make and Chile is no longer above land after their 2025 earthquake, which left only Australia and the U.S to produce wine in the Americas, making wine a premium." He explained. The two arrived at Evelyn's house and Evelyn began to poor drinks. "Tonight may have been my greatest night of my life." Evelyn said. "Yeah it was fun." Candor replied. Evelyn and Candor sat down and enjoyed their drinks. "You know you're very pretty." Candor told Evelyn. "Thank you." Evelyn blushed. Evelyn leaned in and gave Candor a kiss. Suddenly everything went black for Candor. "Huh?" Candor woke groggily. Candor was tied to a vertical board with metal cuffs clamped to his hands and feet. Candor saw Evelyn approach him. "Evelyn, what are you doing?" Candor asked. "You've fallen prey to my trap, Candor." Evelyn smirked. "But why?" said Candor confused. "Because I'm not who you think I am." Replied Evelyn. "I am Garnet's number one assassin, Rebeca Stilts." She said. "What are you going to do to me?" Candor asked. "Well you know the secret weapons you were searching for? I'm going to use one of them on you." She said. Rebeca positioned the large weapon towards Candor. "What does it do?" Candor asked. "It turns people into animals." She said. "And those 5 spies that were sent before you have already been to turned. two of them I kept as pets, the other three I fed to my cat." She explained. "I'm going to turn you into a mouse." She went on. "My cat hasn't had a mouse to play with in a while, and she loves mice." Rebeca smirked. Rebeca charged the weapon, but before it could finish Ada busted through the door. "Stop what you are doing!" Ada shouted. Ada ran towards Rebeca and they began to fight. "How did you find me?" Rebeca asked. "You left his tuxedo on." Ada replied. The two women traded kicks and punches. Their fight got dangerously close to the weapon. Rebeca gave Ada a hard shove, knocking her into the weapon. The weapon's setting was changed to German Shepherd and was activated. Thinking on her feet Ada grabbed Rebeca and pushed her in front of the weapon just as the beam shot out. It hit Rebeca square in the chest, turning her into a German Shepherd. Ada went over to release Candor from his restraints. "How did you find me Ada?" He asked. "Judas betrayed us Candor." she said. "He tried to kill me, I was able to subdue him. He said that you were doomed, but then I heard a beeping noise in his jacket. It turns out he had planted a tracker in your Tuxedo and so I followed it and that women unwisely didn't remove it from you and so I was lead here." She explained. Ada and Candor destroyed the weapon and began to head out. Before they were able to make it out of the door of the lair the German Shepherd began to follow Ada. "She seems to like you." Candor said. "Yeah." Ada contemplated. "It seems that whoever sets off the machine gains the loyalty of the pet." "Are you going to keep her?"Asked Candor. "Why not?" Ada said. "What will you name her?" Candor asked. "I will name her Dakota, I've always loved that name." Ada replied. "We need to hurry now." Ada said. "I've found the location of final weapon we need to destroy." she added. Ada, Candor, and Dakota went to a familiar looking warehouse. "Weren't we here before?" Candor asked. "Yes" Ada replied. "But I found out from Judas that there is a hidden doorway that leads under ground inside." Ada explained. Ada told Dakota to wait for them outside while they went to search for the weapon. Ada and Candor found the door and tracked through a tunnel that lead them to an underground laboratory. The laboratory was what you would expect in a movie, everything was white as snow with a chemistry section and a weapons testing area. In the weapons testing area they found the weapon they were looking for. It was placed in a very tall room that had a large fan two hundred feet above them. Before they could destroy the weapon the two were greeted by a man that looked to be seven feet tall. "You're Vlad Malo!" Ada said. "Yes I am." Said the man. "You two had made it just in time for our weapons test." The man said. The two began to attack the man but Vlad pushed a button and the two were instantly paralyzed. Ada and Candor were promptly tied up and faced in front of the weapon. "What kind of weapon is it?" Candor asked. "It's an anti-gravity ray." Vlad replied. "I'm going to shoot the both of with it in which then you will both float up into that fan above." Vlad explained. Vlad Malo turned on the weaponed. A voice came on and said "The weapon will be charged 10, 9, 8, 7…". As Vlad was about to press fire he felt a pain in his neck. Dakota had gone after Ada and had found Vlad Malo in the act of killing her new friend. Dakota had jumped off of a lab table and grabbed a hold of Vlad's neck. Dakota's bite was so powerful that she snapped his upper spine and broke Vlad's neck, instantly killing him. Dakota then chewed the ropes off of Candor and Ada. "Good girl." Ada said. Ada and Candor destroyed the weapon and headed home. "Welcome back Candor and secret agent Alexandra Heart, I trust your mission was a success?" Director Spenser asked. "Yes Director, we destroyed both weapons." Alexandra replied. "Good." Director Spenser said. "Before I send both of you home I would like to know if you would like to be a permanent member of the C.I.A?" The Director asked. "I have to admit, the mission was a bit rocky for me." Said Candor. "But, I enjoyed it, and I think I'm better suited to serve the country this way after I learned my mistakes. So yes, I would like the job." Candor replied. "Very good, you two seemed to have worked well together, we will be using you both for future assignments." The Director said. "But for now you two need to rest up." Alexandra, Dakota, and Candor left HQ after their debriefing. "I want to thank you for your help Alexandra." Candor said. "If it weren't for you I wouldn't have survived. Candor explained. "I can say the same thing about you." Alexandra replied. "There's no way I could have beaten Mal and his mercenaries without you." She stated. "By the way Candor, you can just call me Ada for now on." Ada and Candor went home. The both of them would later do more than fifty missions together. They retired and started a family five years later. After World War Four the world went into turmoil, and Ada and Candor went into hiding with their family.


End file.
